Equinox
Equinox (Ee-kwin-ox), often referred to as "the old world," is one of the game worlds of Waywardcraft, and the world most often referenced in history and lore. Equinox was evacuated during a tremendous disaster known as "The Maelstrom," and has been largely uninhabited since. History Much of the history of Equinox was lost during the Maelstrom and subsequent evacuation of the world, though Scholars in Origin have retained as much information as they could, and made a valiant effort to transfer as much of their knowledge as they could into books and scrolls, which are currently stored in Origin's library. The Five Dynasties The earliest history saved by the Harrenhali scholars is that of the Five Dynasties of Equinox. These imperial dynasties, each headed by one of five distinct families, ruled over most of Equinox for more than three thousand years. The first was the Loni (low-nigh) Dynasty, who ruled from the years 0L to 974L. The Loni created the earliest calendar system, known simply as the "Loni Calendar," which recorded history in Equinox until the Maelstrom. The Loni were not very expansive; their empire was the smallest of the empires. They most likely would have expanded their reach, but plague, famine, and a war with the independent Northern tribes brought the Loni Dynasty to an end before they had a chance to advance. After several years of anarchy in the wake of the fall of the Loni, the Khalar (Kay-lar) Dynasty rose to prominence, somewhere around 990L. They ruled over Equinox longer than any other dynasty, using their wealth and military might to develop the largest and most powerful empire any of the dynasties would ever forge. The most prominent emperor of the Khalar Dynasty, Emperor Jharos, was the most powerful of all the dynastic rulers, raising a staggering million-man army that conquered all of the known world during Jharos' 80-year lifespan. When Jharos died in 1256L, he left behind over a dozen direct heirs, giving the Khalar a healthy foundation upon which their family could rule Equinox for nearly two-thousand years. The Khalar bloodline weakened in 2848L, after a disease known as "The Royal Plague" decimated much of the Khalar family and left their final ruler, Jharos XIII, infertile. Modern scholars believe the number thirteen is often considered unlucky today because of Jharos XIII's ill-attempts at saving the Khalar Dynasty, and the fact that he died on the thirteenth day of the thirteen week in the year 3013L. The death of Jharos XIII harkened the end of the Khalar Dynasty, and the beginning of a terrible civil war that raged for nearly a century, before the Coro (Cho-Row) Dynasty finally emerged from the ashes on the dawn of the new year in 3091L. The Coro Dynasty was the first of the fabled "Three Dying Dynasties." Coro barely managed to stay in power for two generations, after sinister political maneuvers and a series of assassinations gave way to the Ba'Venak (Bay-Ven-uck) Dynasty in 3071L. The Ba'Venak was the shortest-lived of all five dynasties, however, lasting only a decade; in the spring of 3082L, a large peasant revolt led to the slaughter of the Ba'Venak family. The leader of that revolt, a young mage named Garun, would take his seat, and rule over Equinox as the final dynasty entered the history books. The Rise of Garun The Garun (Gar-oon) Dynasty was ruled by a single man, the Mage Garun, who took his seat in the Summer of 3084L at the age of thirty. Garun used his sorcery to heal the sick, save crops from drought, and create magic portals that made travel and commerce all the faster. At first, the people of Equinox loved Garun, many even considering him to be a God. In 3112L, however, the people began to turn on Garun. After a failed assassination attempt, Garun raised an undead army, ordering martial law throughout the Empire. Any man, woman, or child found in public after sundown would be executed on-sight, right where they stood. This led the people of Equinox to rise up against Garun, and in 3120L, the mage Garun was slain by a group of courageous adventurers. Halcyon After the death of Garun, an adventurer named Friscus Halcyon was elected to begin a new Dynasty, and in 3122L, that is what he did. But Halcyon knew that the dynasty system had failed the people of Equinox, and decided instead to form a new government, this one a monarchy with an elected parliament at its core. What followed next was two-thousand years of freedom, peace, and prosperity unlike anything the people of Equinox had ever known. The Empire of Halcyon had put Garun's magic to good use, developing a school of mages known as "The Fire Order" who would go on to create portals, tame dragons, and drive Garun's undead minions into the night. Halcyon's armies protected and served the people, rather than abusing them. And for two-thousand years, the world knew nothing but peace. The Rock & Northman Rebellion The Halcyon Empire knew its fair share of bad leaders, as any empire would, but in 4979L, the worst of them all was formed, when the newly-installed King Elmheart took the throne. Elmheart, a boy king of just sixteen years, decided to do away with the parliamentary system entirely, ruling Equinox as a despot. He raised taxes to crippling rates, invaded provinces that didn't pay him tribute, and retooled the Fire Order to serve only his evil ends. In 5024L, it was learned that a group of Rockwater peasants was planning to go into open revolt against the throne, so King Elmheart ordered the mass execution of everyone in the village of Old Town. These mass executions were the final straw for the Northmen tribes, who declared their independence from Halcyon later that year. Elmheart ordered his armies and the Fire Order to invade the north within a few hours of King Northman's declaration, and a bloody civil war erupted. In 5029L, a peasant named Maximilian Rock rose a vast army in Rockwater Bay, and joined the war with the Northman armies. Together, the Rock and Northman Rebellion won battle after battle, eventually laying siege to Halcyon in 5033L, and then conquering Halcyon in 5035. King Elmheart was hung, the Fire Order was disbanded, and the city of Halcyon was laid to ruin, but the Rockwater Empire rose from the ashes. The Rockwater Empire The last and final empire of Equinox, the Rockwater Empire, began in 5036L, ruled over by the Rock and Northman families, who divided Equinox into two vast, yet simple, regions: The North and the South. These families would rule over Equinox for hundreds of years, until the Maelstrom. The Maelstrom On the first day of the year 5600L, a massive global catastrophe started to brew under the seas. A massive spiraling whirlpool began to form in the south seas, growing to become the size of a whole continent in a matter of days. From the eye of this whirlpool came all sorts of terrors; hurricanes, giants, untamed hostile dragons, and whole armies of the undead. In just a few short weeks, the entire planet of Equinox found itself under siege, and the larger the Maelstrom grew, the more death, terror, and anguish Equinox was made to endure. Many heroes were sent to stop the Maelstrom... none returned. In 5601L, King Rock and King Northman ordered their fleets to sail toward the maelstrom and attempt to stop these attacks at their sources, but only the HMS Goliath and HMS Nautilus managed to limp home in one piece, the rest of the fleet smashed by the Maelstrom. That is when the two kings decided the only option left to them was the evacuation of Equinox. After reinstating the Fire Order, Equinox used magic to raise a new fleet as quickly as possible, this one large enough to carry every man, woman, and child of Equinox into a safe new world, through a massive portal created in a region of the seas the Maelstrom had not yet reached. The portal led into the new world of Terra, and after the mages and scholars were confident the new world was a safe one, they began the process of evacuating the people of Equinox through the portals. On the third day of evacuations, however, a new figure emerged from the Maelstrom... Garun, who returned from the dead and revealed his dastardly plot to reclaim his throne and conquer all of Equinox once more. The northern and southern armies met Garun's forces in the Rose Deserts, but were no match for his undead legions. The only hope the people of Equinox had was escape. Nearly a third of the Equinoxans managed that escape, too, finding safe harbor in the new world of Terra. But when Garun realized the people of Equinox were fleeing, he used his dark magic to close the portal. A third of the ships destined for Terra were destroyed in Equinox, while the final third -- the ships that were still traveling through the portal when Garun closed it -- were mostly destroyed as well, with a few stragglers managing to make it to relative safety in the world of the Outlands. Equinox Today No one has dared return to Equinox since the Maelstrom. Most Scholars agree that the world was most likely destroyed by the Maelstrom, though some argue it is possible that Garun stopped the maelstrom after realizing he'd lost, and has been using his magic to build a new world, with new slave inhabitants to serve him. But with the destruction of the portal, it is widely believed that returning to Equinox has been rendered impossible. Locales Cities and locations of Equinox, coming soon! Trivia Equinox is a locked world. Players may only visit it with administrative escorts, and it is not accessible via portals or warps from any other world; admins can only reach Equinox using commands.